Abstract: A tripper unit for actuating a device (e.g. valve-closing actuator) upon contact with water. Basically, the tripper unit is comprised of a housing having a replaceable cartridge therein which, in turn, is wrapped with an adsorbent paper which prevents a plunger from moving downward. When a leak occurs, water will flow into the housing and into contact with the absorbent paper which will quickly disintegrate to allow a compression spring in said housing to move the plunger downward to thereby actuate the unit.

Abstract: An automatic flow shut-off unit for shutting off water to an appliance (e.g. commode) when a leak or overflow occurs. The unit includes an outer housing having a ball valve mounted thereon wherein the valve is connected between the water supply and the appliance. A tripper unit is mounted in the outer housing and has a plunger therein. The valve is connected to the plunger by a length of actuation material (e.g. flexible cable). A compression spring is positioned in the tripper unit to normally bias the plunger downwards. A cartridge having a water reactive material (e.g. commercially-available toilet paper) thereon is removably mounted in the outer housing wherein the water reactive material when dry supports the plunger in a cocked position but which will quickly weaken and disintegrate upon contact with water.

Abstract: A document sorting machine having at least one pocket for stacking documents according to a common criteria. Each pocket has a gate for diverting the document from the transport of the machine and into the designated pocket. The pocket also has a kicker for moving the tail of the document away from the pocket's entry and into the pocket and a detent which allows the tail to be moved into the pocket but which prevents the tail from moving back towards the pocket's entry after the tail of the document has been moved into the pocket.

Abstract: A weigh-on-the-fly WOF module for weighing a mail piece as it is being sorted by a mail sort machine. The piece is delivered to entry pinch rollers in the WOF module which, in turn, deliver the piece into pinch at an acceleration roller. The thickness of the piece is measured the pinch at the acceleration roller is adjusted to reduce drag on the mail piece during acceleration. The acceleration roller is driven by a constant torque motor at a first known or measured velocity V1 which is increased to second known or measured velocity V2 when the mail piece arrives. The time of acceleration from V1 to V2 is measured. Once the velocities and the time of acceleration are known, the weigh of that particular mail piece can be calculated using the formula: F=ma wherein F=force or torque m=mass or weight; and a=acceleration or (V2?V1)/time.

Abstract: An automatic system which includes a tripper unit for actuating a device (e.g. valve-closing actuator) upon contact with water. Basically, the tripper unit is comprised of a housing having a cartridge therein which prevents a plunger from moving downward. When a leak occurs, water will flow into the housing and into contact with the cartridge which will quickly disintegrate allowing the plunger to move downward to thereby actuate the valve actuator to close the valve. The tripper unit may be a separate component of the system or both the tripper unit and the valve actuator can be incorporated into a single unit.

Abstract: An automatic system which includes a tripper unit for actuating a device (e.g. valve-closing actuator) upon contact with water. Basically, the tripper unit is comprised of a housing having a cartridge therein which, in turn, is wrapped with an adsorbent paper which prevents a plunger from moving downward. When a leak occurs, water will flow into the housing and into contact with the absorbent paper which will quickly disintegrate allowing the plunger to move downward to thereby actuate the valve actuator to close the valve. The tripper unit may be a separate component of the system or both the tripper unit and the valve actuator can be incorporated into a single unit.

Abstract: A pre-textured, pre-primed cover for an opening a wall/ceiling which has been finished with a particular known, texture pattern. The cover is molded from a plastic material wherein the surface of the cover has a particular, known texture pattern formed integrally therein. The particular pattern is selected from a group of texture patterns which are well known in the trade. After the cover is molded, a primer is sprayed thereon so that the textured surface will readily accept and retain paint such as that used to paint the wall.

Abstract: A gas-to-liquid (GTL) process and system for converting a natural gas) into liquid hydrocarbons (e.g. diesel, naphtha, distillates, etc.) wherein the equipment subsystems from existing gas-to-methanol plants are re-utilized in the (GTL) process. The syngas generator from the methanol plant is used to generate syngas in the present process. The syngas is then adjusted to remove CO2 and H2 before the syngas is passed through a Fischer-Tropsch (FT) reactor to convert the syngas to liquid hydrocarbons. The FT reactor is comprised of the same equipment that was use previously to convert syngas into methanol except for the respective catalysts. The liquid hydrocarbons are then upgraded and separated into individual hydrocarbon products.

Abstract: A portable cooling unit (i.e. a mister) having a portable frame on which a fan and a water tank is mounted. A pump is mounted on the frame for pumping water from the tank to nozzles in a mister head which, in turn, is mounted on the front of the fan. Both the direction and the flow through the nozzles are adjustable.

Abstract: A damper for allowing some degree of air flow (winter ventilation) through a roof mounted, conduit to aid in preventing the growth of black mold in an attic while aiding in heat retention during colder periods of the year. The low profile damper is comprised of a housing having a plurality of louvers pivotably mounted therein. A linkage strip interconnects the louvers together whereby a bimetal coil move the louvers in unison between their open and closed positions in response to temperature. The damper includes an air flow selector means that allows a “selected” closed position to be selected at which a predetermine volume of air is allowed to flow through the damper.

Abstract: A large, box-like polygonal tank for storing liquefied gas on land or on ground based structures (GBS) and a method of constructing the tank. The tank is comprised of an internal, truss-braced, rigid frame, having a cover on the frame for containing the stored liquid within the tank. The internal, truss-braced frame allows the interior of the tank to be contiguous throughout while compensating for the dynamic loads caused by the “sloshing” of stored liquid which, in turn, is due to the short excitation periods cause by seismic activity or the like.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for fracturing different levels of a completion interval in a well. A workstring lowers a fracturing string which, in turn, is comprised of a base pipe which is blank except for perforated sections spaced along its length. Screen may be provided over said sections to block the flow of sand into the base pipe. An alternate flow path (e.g. shunt tubes) extends along the base pipe and has one or more outlets spaced along its length. A slurry is flowed into the annulus surrounding the fracturing string. As liquid is lost from the slurry, sand from the slurry will form bridges at said perforated sections thereby isolating portions of the annulus. Slurry then flows through the shunts tube(s) and out into the isolated portions to fracture the different levels in the completion interval.

Abstract: A well screen and method for gravel packing a wellbore interval wherein a low-viscosity slurry can be used to distribute the gravel. A well screen having a plurality of spaced intermediate manifolds is lowered into the interval and slurry is pumped down the well and into the first manifold. Each intermediate manifold has an upper and a lower perforated shunt tube in fluid communication therewith which, in turn, distribute slurry in both an upward and downward direction substantially simultaneously. The slurry exits the respective tubes into spaced zones within the completion interval. By overlapping the exit openings of respective lower and upper shunt tubes of adjacent manifolds, slurry will be delivered to across the entire completion interval.

Abstract: A system for producing a mixed gas-oil stream which contains solid particulates wherein gas is to be separated and compressed downhole in a turbine-driven compressor before the gas is injected into a subterranean formation. The stream is passed through an upstream separator to separate out the particulates which pass through a first and second set of slots into first and second passages, both of which empty into a bypass through the turbine whereby the separated particulates do not contact the rotary vanes of the turbine thereby alleviating the erosive effects of the solids in the produced stream.

Abstract: A method and system for producing a mixed gas-oil stream wherein at least a portion of the gas is separated downhole by an auger separator which is comprised of an upstream and a downstream section. As the mixed stream flows through a converging passageway in the upstream section and gas is separated by an auger, the velocity of the stream is increased thereby reducing the temperature and pressure of the stream. This allows more of the condensate to remain with the liquids and not be separated with the gas. The liquids exit the upstream section and are produced to the surface. The separated gas flows through a diverging passageway in the downstream section where a port ion of the reduced pressure is regained before the gas either produced to the surface or compressed for downhole injection.

Abstract: A pipeline supported by a plurality of spaced, movable supports. The supports are not anchored but are movable with respect to the surface of the earth (e.g. tundra) thereby allowing the pipeline to move in response to temperature/pressure changes in said pipe. The supports are sized so that the pipeline will be elevated above the surface of the tundra at a height sufficient to allow water to flow under the pipeline as well as allowing small animals to pass thereunder. The movable supports may be either rolling supports which lie directly on the surface or sliding supports which are positioned on slidable stands or combination of both.

Abstract: A natural gas liquefaction system and process wherein excess refrigeration available in a typical natural gas liquefaction system is used to cool the inlet air to gas turbines in the system to thereby improve the overall efficiency of the system. A cooler is positioned in front of the air inlet of each gas turbine; and coolant (e.g. water) is flowed through each of the coolers to cool the ambient air as it flows into the gas turbines. The water, in turn, is cooled with propane taken from a refrigerant circuit in the system which, in turn, is used to initially cool the natural gas which is to be liquefied.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for drilling a lateral from a primary wellbore having a short radius-of-curvature. The lateral is drilled by a downhole drilling unit which differs from prior art units of this type in that instead of connecting the drill bit directly to the downhole motor, a length of flexible drill pipe is used to connect the bit to the rotary power output of the motor. This length of flexible drill pipe below the downhole motor allows much larger build-up angles (e.g. 1-3° per foot) which, in turn, reduces the time and expense for short-radius laterals and increase the accuracy of placement of the lateral within the zone of interest (e.g. production formation).

Abstract: A singulator for feeding documents one at a time onto the transport of a processing machine. The singulator includes a pick-off means and a stripper means for preventing multi-feeds of documents. The stripper means is comprised of two independent stripper assemblies which are mounted one above the other. Each assembly is comprised of an arm which is rotatably mounted to the machine at one end and which has a means at the other end for engaging any multi-fed documents. Each stripper assembly has basically the same structure except the arm of one stripper assembly is shorter than the arm of the other assembly whereby the assemblies contact a multi-fed document at different points.

Abstract: A system for producing a mixed gas-oil stream which contains solid particulates wherein gas is to be separated and compressed downhole in a turbine-driven compressor before the gas is injected into a subterranean formation. The stream is passed through a first separator to separate out the particulates which are then passed through a bypass in the turbine without contacting the rotary vanes of the turbine thereby alleviating the erosive effects of the solids.